[ Act No. 911, September 29, 1903 ]

AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE CIVIL GOVERNOR TO DIRECT ANY DISBURSING OFFICER OF THE INSULAR GOVERNMENT, OR OF ANY PROVINCIAL OR MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT THEREUNDER, TO WITHHOLD PAY FROM ANY PERSON EMPLOYED IN SUCH SERVICE WHEN IT APPEARS TO HIS SATISFACTION THAT SUCH PERSON IS INDEBTED TO ANY BRANCH OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT, AND REQUIRING DISBURSING OFFICERS TO COMPLY WITH SUCH DIRECTION.

By authority of the United States, be it enacted by the Philippine Commission, that:

SECTION 1. Whenever it shall be made to appear to the satisfaction of the Civil Governor that any officer or employee of the Insular Government, or of any provincial or municipal government thereunder, is indebted to the United States Government on account of the War Department, the Navy Department, or any other Department of said Government, the Civil Governor is hereby authorized to direct the disbursing officer through whom such insular, provincial, or municipal officer or employee receives his pay or salary, to withhold such pay or salary to the amount of such indebtedness to the United States, and pay the same to the officer of the United States Government authorized to receive the same.

SEC. 2. Any disbursing officer who willfully fails or neglects to withhold pay or salary as directed by the Civil Governor shall be deemed liable for the amount on his official bond, and in any case where such officer or employee whose pay or salary is withheld under the provisions of this Act shall refuse or fail to sign proper receipts to the disbursing officer for pay or salary due but withheld under the provisions of this Act, the disbursing officer may take credit in his account for any such sum paid for the benefit of such officer or employee, supporting such credit by a voucher reciting the order of the Civil Governor directing that such pay or salary be withheld, and the receipt of the officer of the United States Government authorized to receive the amount.

SEC. 3. The public good requiring the speedy enactment of this bill, the passage of the same is hereby expedited in accordance with section two of "An Act prescribing the order of procedure by the Commission in the enactment of laws," passed September twenty-sixth, nineteen hundred.

SEC. 4. This Act shall take effect on its passage.

Enacted, September 29, 1903.